It was no surprise, this year’s Super Bowl commercials were packed with celebs, sloths, and Matthew McConaugheys, and most notably AI. From Google’s Gemini, Pixel, and Workspace products, to Meta’s Ray-Ban AI glasses, to Salesforce’s Agentforce, to Open AI’s Chat GPT, and even Jimmy Johnson’s AI tribute. Though Jimmy Johnson’s tribute was not in fact a commercial per se, it did set the tone for how I believe most American humans watching the Super Bowl feel about AI right now, unsettled.
AI is evolving faster than anything we‘ve ever experienced before, so naturally it’s going to be met with a healthy dose of skepticism and distrust. So what is an agency to do if they’re so fortunate enough to score an AI client for a Super Bowl spot? Clearly the creative briefs for the tech companies I mentioned above approached things a little differently. I do wonder to myself what their market research suggested and who their primary target was – the human race? Obviously not that broad, but I imagine middle-aged to older conservative Americans were definitely in the mix. So let’s consider their current perception of AI and add it to the brief. “AI is this big tech thing from Silicon Valley that I don’t fully understand nor do I trust, and it seems like it’s going to steal our jobs.”
With that insight, the agencies took the creative for their clients in a few directions. All of them definitely wanted to make it clear that AI is our friend and not a scary enemy that will take over humankind in the next few years and leave us living in the Matrix. Google’s attempts at all three of its products felt the safest. It tried to make us laugh by saving the poor guy who doesn’t know football, it supported a cheese guy’s small business (Note: Insert in the creative brief a bullet about including small businesses) and it successfully made me cry when it supported a dad’s job interview prep while his daughter went off to college. But frankly anything with a montage of kids growing up makes me cry because I’m a parent. That’s nothing new and it’s certainly not anything creatively original. Overall the takeaway was “AI is a friendly and helpful tool meant to support you in your life’s endeavors.” Do I trust it after watching this? Not really, but nice try.
Both Meta and Salesforce leaned heavily on famous celebrities and used humor as a way in. Some viewers thought Meta’s AI glasses were a bit too “Minority Report.” And the scenarios used to promote Agentforce were a bit over-the-top and ridiculous. I didn’t mind though. It’s all for the sake of entertainment and it made the messages clear. The general takeaway for both: AI is your personal buddy assistant that keeps you informed and makes life smoother.
And finally, Open AI’s Chat GPT. Out of all of these, Open AI took the brief and said “We don’t have to explain ourselves to anyone. We’re awesome. Boom. Mic drop. Out.” Where the others were showing benefits and explaining features, Open AI knew that’s not what dominates categories and gets attention. They went for pure awareness, without trying to shoehorn a measure of conversions. The significance of AI goes way beyond the present day, hence why they named their spot “The Intelligence Age.” Succinctly, cleanly, and smartly, Open AI told a clear message that since the dawn of time, we’ve been evolving with major breakthroughs and inventions. AI (or Chat GPT) is just the next chapter. And they did it all on brand with their iconic black dot. Smart and simple again for the win – at least creatively.
As far as AI winning over the masses, the jury is still out. What is clear though is that gaining acceptance for AI is not nearly as easy as campaigning for it. There’s a general understanding that no one watching these Super Bowl ads are going to do a full 180 on how they feel about AI. All they have to do is be memorable and be top of mind when people think about AI.